Features:

  • A DSLR that's as easy to use as a point-and-shoot camera
  • Compact, comfortable design that's great for travel and special events
  • Image sensor that's 15x larger than those used in typical smartphones for sharper, clearer pictures
  • Works with Nikon Snap Bridge app for sharing photos with a compatible smartphone or tablet
  • 1080P Full HD videos with monaural sound at the touch of a button
Do it!

I'm really happy that I bought this kit. For a beginner looking for a new hobby, it's wonderful. Now that I've had a little practice, I do wish that the smaller lens had wider aperture options and the telephoto lens had VR. But those things come with a bigger price tag and I likely won't NEED them for at least a year.. maybe more. Best of all, I'm having a blast learning how to use the camera and when my kids get to join in, they're very excited. The photos attached are after two days of practice. Not amazing but WAY better than my phone.

As advertised

What I wasn't ready for was the weight. I'm used to using an ancient Canon rebel.. I actually thought it was a fake item at first as it weighed like it was hollow in comparison. I'm very pleased at the quality:price ratio in comparison to Canon options. I do wish the 300m lense set came with the VR edition. I noticed that Nikon offered it as a set before it was checked/tested/wrapped.. But I'm willing to order refurb direct for the VR edition of the lense. Got the standard option because I hate lenses with no IS (or VR in this case).

Nice Entry Level Nikon DSLR Camera

The Nikon D3500 is a successor to the D3400 which was a very popular entry level Nikon DSLR camera introduced about two years ago. The D3500 bares pretty much the same feel and functionality as compared to the D3400 with an improvement of approximately 30% in battery life (about 1550 shots per full charge) and lighter in weight (about 30 g lighter than its predecessor). I have been converted to mirrorless cameras in the past years due to its compact size and lighter weight. I am pleased to see that the D3500's weight (weights about 626 g on the scale with the Nikkor 18 - 55 mm lens attached) is approaching closer to the popular mirrorless camera like the Sony A6000. The camera comes with the battery charger, carrying strap, and has a standard SD slot instead of micro SD slot. The D3500 feels very nice for the hand and easy to grip with all the main functions easily accessible with the various control buttons and knobs. It has an "optical" viewfinder which displays the key settings (exposure, shutter speed, exposure indicator, number of remaining shots, and flash readiness etc) info on the bottom . It also has a side diopter adjustment knob for those wearing eyeglasses. The eyepiece is pretty close to the display monitor though. The camera's display monitor (about 2 3/8" W x 1 3/4" H) is very nice in quality and serves the dual purposes of live view and information display (a lot more information as compared to the viewfinder and much easier to read). However, it is a fixed screen, not tiltable, and not a touch-screen. The display mode is selected by a convenient lever switch right next to the modes dial. The mode dial covers pretty much the common functions (P, S, A, M) and special scenes modes such as Portrait, Landscape, Sport, Close Up , Night Portrait, and Child Mode (highlighting clothing and background). It also has Guide Mode for easy access to the common features (Shooting display, View/Delete, Retouch, and Setup). The camera has a APS-C 24 MP sensor which is similar to the Sony A6000. It has a built-in pop up flash and has a hot-shoe for external flash. The camera supports raw with ISO ranges from 100 - 25600 with a fastest shutter speed of 1/4000S (also same as the Sony A6000). However, there are only 11 focal points which makes it a challenge for tracking fast moving objects. I tested the camera for focusing various objects and lighting conditions. Worked pretty nice for general portraits, still objects, and landscapes. However, it was a bit of challenge with low-light focusing. Some sample shots were out of focus in dimly lighted areas. Video recording was pretty good and the camera supports 1920 x 1080 resolution. The D3500 also comes with other nice features such as a variety of special effects and wireless connection. Overall, it is a very nice entry level Nikon DSLR camera with great battery life and lighter in weight. It would work well for general photo shoots which should be more than adequate for many photographers seeking a nice camera in this price range. What I like less about this this camera are the lack of focus points and tiltable touch screen. But we can't beat the Nikon quality and the wide selection of lens on the market.

A great camera package for a low price!

I’m getting back into photography now that I have more time. I don’t have a ton of money to spend so I have to cut some corners. Unless you already own all the lenses you need, spend less on the camera body and get the second lens with this set. It is your skill and the lens that is responsible for the photo and not the camera body. You can do a lot with these two!

Awesome quality photos and video

Just got this camera today. I have a Samsung phone and was able to download the Nikon app and transfer pics to it without any wires or taking out the SD card. The video is great quality! Also, this is the first camera that I can actually take pictures of my dog and her eyes show up clearly in the pictures (black fur with black eyes)! And they don't look like demon eyes even with the flash on. So happy we found this camera!

Incredible camera!

Allows amateurs (like me) to take gorgeous PROFESSIONAL pictures! I had no idea I could shoot so well! Very very easy to figure out. You can see that special effort was put into simplifying the device without sacrificing quality. Well deserved five stars!

Awesome entry-level DSLR camera!

To be honest, the only reason why I bought this was because all modern digital cameras lack the manual control functionalities of the camera. Nowadays, everything is "automatically" managed by the computer within the camera which, in most cases, ruins the pictures. I am so glad that I made the switch to this camera! It does everything that my other cameras does not do! It allows me to manually adjust the focus, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance, and so much more! I will admit that the camera can be a bit "much" to those who are new to the DSLR universe, but I will say that after you play with the camera for a while, you will know all of the menus, options and their locations like a pro! What I love about this camera is that you have the ability to switch out the stock lens for a macro lens (those insane close up photos) or for a telephoto lens (for those far distant pictures) if you choose! For me, personally, the stock lens does more than enough, but if I have the urge to buy one of the other lenses, I can do that because the camera is made for expand-ability! Contrary to what others may say, personally, I believe that the JPEG images are super clean and crisp. While you are not supposed to use JPEGs for post-production, I believe you can get away with some minor post with these files. They are so clean with no visible JPEG compression artifacts! It's a shame that the NEF RAW format is not widely supported, but once it is, I would switch over as soon as possible to get all the color information you need from your photos! A little notice to new consumers: When you turn off your camera, disable the WIFI on your camera. I accidentally left the WIFI on and forgot about it. The camera, while in the "OFF" position, can still use WIFI, which will drain your battery quickly. But, on a full charge, if WIFI is turned off and dependent on your usage of the camera, the battery can last quite some time! All in all, I think that this camera is a steal for it's price! For those who want to experience a DSLR camera without breaking the bank, I will definitely get this camera before they're all gone! (I took 2 pictures of the camera, one with a more practical use of the camera, to show off the color reproduction. I took a photo of the grass in my backyard. The colors in that picture could not have been any closer to reality than it is in the photo! The second picture is a test to push the "macro" aspect of the stock lens to it's limits. It's a closeup of my TV, where you can see the subpixel elements. For me, it's a good-enough macro lens, but if I want to see the solder holding the pixels together, I have that option if I think the macro lens is a good investment!)

Great Camera but go with the D5600 if your budget permits

The Nikon D3500 is a really small DSLR that takes great pictures (when using an external flash). It is really small and lightweight package especially when using the bundled 18-55mm collapsible lens. High ISO and Autofocus performance is very, very good. The D3500 is Nikon's entry level DSLR replacing the D3400. These two cameras have very similar specifications but the real difference is the White balance. The D3xxx series before this model, had an orangery AWB when shooting with existing incandescent lighting (i.e regular light bulbs). This model does a much better job The colors are really so much better. The buttons are also rearranged to make one handed-shooting a little easier. However, the next camera up the line, is the D5600 which currently sells for almost the same price since the D5600 has been around for a while. The D5600 which has almost identical and excellent image quality, is about the same size and weight (maybe an ounce or two heavier). But the D5600 has several important features the D3500 lacks; a fully articulating LCD, touch screen controls (in addition to buttons), many more ISO stops (The D3500 has only 2 ISO stops between ISO 400 and 3200), DOF Preview, Bracketing, better wireless picture transfer, automatic sensor cleaning, programmable FN button etc. Like almost all cameras, the built in flash is not great; an external speedlight with bounce capabilities is really essential for properly exposed photographs. The SB300 is a very small flash and a great match for this camera (and for the D5600). Like all cameras, the most important component is the skill and imagination of the photographer.

Best Camera for the Money

Easy to use and Nice Picture Quality i Really Recommend this Camera for Budget

Blown away by my own pictures.

I've been wanting a more serious camera for a while after missing too many of those sights where a smartphone camera won't do it justice. I decided I wanted to dip into the DSLR waters and finally get beyond point and click cameras. I bought the D3500 with the extra 70-300mm and now I'm sure that lens will live on the camera. The range it has from a close detail shot of a bird to a view of a village on a mountain top 8 miles away is awesome.

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